December Stripers

I almost never end my striper season on a “high note.” If I caught a fish on my last trip, how would I know if they weren’t there the following night, or the following week.  I always seem to rack up a few good skunkings before putting away the bass gear for the season. 

I’ll admit, it feels a little desperate, going out and casting into an ocean that hasn’t given up a striper in weeks. Every hopeless trip starts to feel like a voicemail left by a clingy ex.

“Hey Stripers, it’s me Jim again. Thought I felt a tap last night. Just wanted to see if it was you. I’ve been catching lots of skates lately. It’s been…fun. Anyway, I’ll be at the jetty tonight, dunking clams. I know they’re your favorite. If you’re around, it’d be great to get together.”

After about December 15, I don’t get too many calls back.

That said, I do have a few great December striper fishing memories. I caught my first ever striped bass on December 17^th, 1997 aboard the Lone Star party boat in the Cape May Rips. My first bass over 20 pounds smashed a Slug-Go ripped across the surface behind Hereford Inlet in Wildwood, three days after Christmas in 2001. And, perhaps most significantly, on December 8, 1999, 12 years ago today, I caught my first ever striped bass from the surf, on 3^rd Street in Ocean City, New Jersey.

We’re in the thick of the Christmas season now, and it’ll be a few months before we can even starting thinking about the spring run. Almost all of my surf gear is packed away, but when I return home to Philadelphia for Christmas, I might just take the scenic route along the Jersey coast to see if there are any December stripers still waiting around for me.